1. Field of the Invention
The aspects believed novel relate generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to an improved method and apparatus for processing data. Still more particularly, the aspects provide a method and apparatus for re-orienting or re-ordering of data based on directional or ordered selection of data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In data processing systems, some basic activities with respect to data involve moving, organizing, and editing the data. For this purpose, software applications designed to run on these data processing systems provide tools to move, copy, cut, paste, or otherwise edit data. Such tools are known as editing tools, and each data operation such as ‘move’, ‘copy’, ‘cut’, and ‘paste’ is an editing operation. These editing operations are referred to as basic editing operations, or simply, editing operations. Other specialized editing tools such as ‘crop’ are available for performing specialized editing operations on specific types of data. Source and destination locations in a data processing system may be files or directories in the data processing system. Further, the destination file may be the same as the source file and the copy may simply be a copy to a different location in the same source file.
Alternatively, an editing operation may be applied from one source file to multiple destination files. For example, a typical copy operation on a text file is undertaken by selecting the text to be copied using a computer mouse or other pointing or selecting device, and selecting the copy operation from a menu. One way in which the copy operation selection, and other selections, can be accessed in many operating system environments is by clicking the right mouse button to display the menu of operation selections, and selecting ‘copy’ from the displayed menu.
Operations, such as ‘copy’ and other editing operations are operating system dependent as well as software application dependent, and may be accomplished via a number of alternate ways other than selecting from a menu. Other editing operations may be applied to other types of data, such as, for example, text files, spreadsheets, graphics, image files, and lists.
Currently, the basic editing operations are limited to the actual operation. The actual operation does not involve transformation of the data that is the subject of the editing operation. For example, a copy operation simply copies, regardless of the data being copied, or the intention of the person performing the copy operation. Frequently, the user performing a basic editing operation intends more than the bare editing operation. Such intentions are manifested in the manner in which the steps of the editing operation are performed, and actions subsequent or prior to performing the editing operation.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved method, apparatus, and computer instructions for performing additional implicit actions together with basic editing operations, specifically, re-orientation or re-ordering of data based on directional or ordered selection of data for the editing operation.